The Secretary, subject to such conditions as the Secretary may prescribe, may insure under any provision of this subchapter that authorizes such insurance, a mortgage covering a property upon which there is located a one- to four-family residence, without regard to any limitation in this chapter relating to marketability of title or any other limitation in this chapter that the Secretary determines is contrary to promoting the availability of such insurance on Hawaiian home lands, if—

(1)the mortgage is executed by a native Hawaiian on property located within Hawaiian home lands covered under a homestead lease issued under section 207(a) of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, or under the corresponding provision of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii adopted under section 4 of the Act entitled “An Act to provide for the admission of the State of Hawaii into the Union”, approved March 18, 1959 (73 Stat. 5);

(2)the property will be used as the principal residence of the mortgagor; and

(3)the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands of the State of Hawaii

(A) is a comortgagor;

(B) guarantees to reimburse the Secretary for any mortgage insurance claim paid in connection with a property on Hawaiian home lands; or

(C) offers other security acceptable to the Secretary.

(b) Construction advances

Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the Secretary may, with respect to mortgages eligible for insurance under subsection (a) of this section, insure and make commitments to insure advances made during construction if the Secretary determines that the proposed construction is otherwise acceptable and that no feasible financing alternative is available.

(c) Insurance of mortgage as obligation of General Insurance Fund

Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the insurance of a mortgage using the authority contained in this section shall be the obligation of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. The mortgagee shall be eligible to receive the benefits of insurance as provided in section
1710 of this title with respect to mortgages insured pursuant to this section, except that all references in section
1710 of this title to section
1709 of this title shall be construed to refer to the section under which the mortgage is insured.

(d) “Native Hawaiian” and “Hawaiian home lands” defined

For purposes of this section:

(1) Native Hawaiian

The term “native Hawaiian” means any descendant of not less than one-half part of the blood of the races inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands before January 1, 1778, or, in the case of an individual who is awarded an interest in a lease of Hawaiian home lands through transfer or succession, such lower percentage as may be established for such transfer or succession under section 208 or 209 of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920 (42 Stat. 111), or under the corresponding provision of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii adopted under section 4 of the Act entitled “An Act to provide for the admission of the State of Hawaii into the Union”, approved March 18, 1959 (73 Stat. 5).

(2) Hawaiian home lands

The term “Hawaiian home lands” means all lands given the status of Hawaiian home lands under section 204 of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920 (42 Stat. 110), or under the corresponding provision of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii adopted under section 4 of the Act entitled “An Act to provide for the admission of the State of Hawaii into the Union”, approved March 18, 1959 (73 Stat. 5).

(e) Certification of eligibility for existing lessees

Possession of a lease of Hawaiian home lands issued under section 207(a) of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920 (42 Stat. 110), shall be sufficient to certify eligibility to receive a mortgage under this section.

The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, referred to in subsec. (a)(1), is act July 9, 1921, ch. 42, 42 Stat. 108, as amended. The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, referred to in subsecs. (d) and (e), probably means the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920. Sections 204, 207, 208, and 209 of that Act were classified to sections
698,
701,
702, and
703 of Title
48, Territories and Insular Possessions, and were omitted from the Code.

Section 4 of the Act entitled “An Act to provide for the admission of the State of Hawaii into the Union”, approved Mar. 18, 1959 (73 Stat. 5), referred to in subsecs. (a)(1) and (d), is section 4 ofPub. L. 86–3, Mar. 18, 1959, 73 Stat. 5, which is set out as a note preceding section
491 of Title
48.

Amendments

2008—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 110–289substituted “Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund” for “General Insurance Fund established in section
1735c of this title” and struck out “(1) all references in section
1710 of this title to the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund or the Fund shall be construed to refer to the General Insurance Fund; and (2)” after “except that”.

“(1) The term ‘native Hawaiian’ means any descendant of not less than one-half part of the blood of the races inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands before January 1, 1778 (or, in the case of an individual who succeeds a spouse or parent in an interest in a lease of Hawaiian home lands, such lower percentage as may be established for such succession under section 209 of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, or under the corresponding provision of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii adopted under section 4 of the Act entitled ‘An Act to provide for the admission of the State of Hawaii into the Union’, approved March 18, 1959 (73 Stat. 5)).

“(2) The term ‘Hawaiian home lands’ means all lands given the status of Hawaiian home lands under section 204 of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, or under the corresponding provision of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii adopted under section 4 of the Act entitled ‘An Act to provide for the admission of the State of Hawaii into the Union’, approved March 18, 1959 (73 Stat. 5).”

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100–202extended subsec. (c)(1) term “native Hawaiian” to include in the case of succession in an interest in a lease of Hawaiian homelands any descendant of a percentage less than one-half of the blood of the races inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands before Jan. 1, 1778, as may be established under statute or constitution for succession; and redesignated subsec. (c), including such par. (1), as subsec. (d).